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North Ethiopia 10 Days Tour Package

Price on Request

Must Visit City
Amhara
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Day 01: Arriva in Addis Upon your arrival at Bole International Airport, you will clear immigration and proceed to baggage claim, after collecting your checked bags, clear customs and pass through the arrivals hall where . .
Country: Ethiopia
City: Amhara
Duration: 10 Day(s) - 9 Night(s)
Tour Category: Historic Tour
Departure Date: Thu 01 Jan '99
Package Itinerary

Day 01: Arriva in Addis

Upon your arrival at Bole International Airport, you will clear immigration and proceed to baggage claim, after collecting your checked bags, clear customs and pass through the arrivals hall where you will be met by our representative, who will assist you with your transfer to your hotel.

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Transportation: Land cruiser 4WD

Accommodation: Soramba Hotel or Similar

CONSULTANT NOTE

You will drive approximately 80 km

Game drives vary the time duration

Day 02: Fly Addis – Bahirdar and Visit

You will take a short flight to Bahir Dar and will be met by our representative at the airport. You will drive to your hotel to drop your bags and now you are ready to start a tour of the legendary Historic Route with Bahir Dar. You first will take a boat ride on Lake Tana to the Zege peninsula. Lake Tana has a surface area of 2,282 square miles and it is the largest lake in Ethiopia.

The lake is dotted with islands, many of which shelter isolated monasteries containing the remains of ancient Ethiopian emperors and treasures of the Ethiopian Church. One of these is the 14th-century Monastery of Ura Kidane Mihret which is the most famous of the Zege peninsula monasteries with very beautiful painted Maqdas and a priceless collection of crosses as well as crowns.

We will be back in the city for lunch and after lunch, we will drive some 45 minutes on a bumpy road to the village of Tis Isat to see the Blue Nile Falls.

The Blue Nile Falls is a waterfall on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia. They are known as Tis Issat in Amharic when translated, means "smoking water" They are situated on the upper course of the river. However please be informed that the construction of a new hydroelectric dam that has diverted much of the water and the water level of the falls could be very minimal.

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Transportation: Land cruiser 4WD

Accommodation: Jacaranda Hotel or Similar

CONSULTANT NOTE

You will drive approximately 80 km

Game drives vary the time duration

Day 03: Drive Bahirdar – Awara Amba – Gondar

You will have breakfast at your hotel and before your drive to Gondar. En route, you will drive to the village of Awra Amba, which is located off the Woreta - Woldia 'China-Road'. Visit this unique settlement that is considered to be a prime model for self-help and above all gender equality. Women have equal rights as men and there is no distinction in divisions of labor. Men cook, women plow, and religion have no place. They believe in hard work and being good to people. Continue driving to Gondar, a town founded in 1636 by the great Emperor Fassiladas and often called the “Camelot of Africa.”

Set in a landscape of incomparable beauty, it was the Royal Capital of Ethiopia until 1868. You will visit the Castles and Churches built by the Emperor and his descendants (termed by UNESCO as one of the World’s heritages). After lunch, you will proceed to the fascinating Debre Birhan Selassie Church. The church’s walls and ceilings are decorated with scenes of Biblical lore and medieval history. The church is a rich showcase of the religious art of the Gonderine period and its ceiling of painted angels is only one of its kind.

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Transportation: Land cruiser 4WD

Accommodation: Goha Hotel or Similar

CONSULTANT NOTE

You will drive approximately 210 km

Game drives vary the time duration

Day 04: Excursion to Buhit Ras – Sanqaber Full-day trip

Enjoy a full day to explore the spectacular scenery of the Simien Mountains National Park. The park is a majestic series of undulating amethyst peaks, including Ethiopia’s highest point – Ras Dejen (4620 meters). The peaks have been eroded over millions of years and have left strange and wonderful geological formations behind. The mountains are also home to much of Ethiopia’s wildlife and are great for bird-watching.

Once you pass the entrance to the National Park, you will hike and drive up to Sankaber and enjoy dramatic views of the mountain landscape. The park is home to some of the world’s most elusive animals, and while you're here you might encounter troops of the endemic Gelada baboons. The baboons, only found in Ethiopia, are often referred to as the ‘bleeding heart baboon’ or the 'lion monkey’.

Their coat is shaggy, resembling a lion, while their chest has a marked ‘red heart’ or patch. The Gelada baboon doesn’t have natural enemies so can be found in good numbers and is quite easy to approach. After the hike set up camp within the park to experience the park by night.

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Transportation: Land cruiser 4WD

Accommodation: Semein Park Hotel or Similar

CONSULTANT NOTE

You will drive approximately 180 km

Game drives vary the time duration

Day 05: Drive to Axum

Take the asphalt but winding road up to the fabled city of Axum, crossing the lowlands of the Simien Mountains and the Tekeze River gorge (approximately 7 hours). Though this is a long and winding journey, the spectacular views of the mountains make the time slide away.

You’ll arrive in Axum in the late afternoon. Axum was once the capital of Africa’s oldest empire – the Kingdom of Axum lasted from 1 AD to 700 AD and grew to rank among the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient world. It was positioned at the center of an important trading route that stretched from Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea and all the way to India and Sri Lanka. Axumite society was rich, well-organized, and technically advanced.

In this period, bronze, silver, and gold coins were produced, amazing tombs and monoliths were constructed, and Christianity was introduced to Ethiopia.

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Transportation: High Roof min-bus

Accommodation: Yared Zema Hotel

CONSULTANT NOTE

You will cover approximately 90km

Game Drive Varies the time

Day 06: Visit Axum

Today is a free day with the option to tour the incredible historical sites of Axum. Visit the stele fields, several tombs, the ruins of the Queen of Sheba’s palace, and an archaeological museum. The field is home to over 100 stele – the largest one measuring 33 meters and weighing an incredible 517 tons. Stele (or monoliths) are carved from a single piece of granite and are often elaborately decorated to resemble a multi-story house complete with windows, doors, locks, and structural beams. Their scale reflects how important Axum once was, and they were probably transported by elephants from a nearby quarry.

The mausoleums in this area include the tomb of the false door and also the tombs of King Kaleb and Gebre Meskel, while the archaeological museum houses fascinating displays. An unimposing building with a green picket fence is the St Mary of Zion Church, the first built in sub-Saharan Africa. This holds the crowns of various former Ethiopian emperors and is even said to house the most fabled biblical relic in history – the Ark of the Covenant.

The afternoon is free for you to keep exploring – you might like to see some of the handicraft shops or take a walk out of Axum for an hour or so to see Gobodera, the quarry place for the stele and rock lioness relief.

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Transportation: High Roof min-bus

Accommodation: Yared Zema Hotel or Similar

CONSULTANT NOTE

You will cover approximately 90km

Game Drive Varies the time

Day 07: Drive Axum - Mekele

Leave Axum for Mekele, looking across to see the spectacular Adwa Mountains and the battlefield of Adwa, where the Ethiopians defeated the Italians in 1896. Stop to visit the Pre-Christian Pagan Temple of Yeha before breaking for lunch at Adigrat. Yeha is tough to have been Ethiopia’s first capital and the temple has been dated to around the 6th century BC. After lunch, drive to Enda Teka Tesfay and walk to the rock church of Medhane Alem Adi Kesho (approximately 4 hours).

There are numerous magnificent rock-hewn churches in the Tigray region, but Medhane Alem Adi Kesho is one of the best in terms of architectural quality. The outside is roughly carved, but the interior ceiling is elaborately sculpted. Spend the night in nearby Mekele.

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Transportation: Land cruiser 4WD

Accommodation: Axum Hotel

CONSULTANT NOTE

You will drive approximately 90 km

Game drives vary the time duration

Day 08: Mekele – Lalibela

Start the long journey to Lalibela early in the morning on a smooth paved road and, after a couple of hours, reach the spectacular mountain range of Amba Alaje. Continue through green valleys and flat plains before turning west towards Lalibela at Woldia (approximately 4.5 hours).

The road after Woldia offers one of the most scenic routes in the country. It involves climbing on winding roads along steep hills and evergreen lush valleys up to the Delanta Plateau (3,500 meters), then contouring around the valley for a couple of hours, before arriving at Lalibela in the late afternoon (approximately 4 hours).

Despite the town of Lalibela being isolated in the Lasta Mountains at 2,630 meters above sea level, it is still the home of Ethiopia’s top sights and one of the world's greatest historical and religious sites.

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Transportation: Land cruiser 4WD

Accommodation: Panoramic View Hotel or Similar

CONSULTANT NOTE

You will drive approximately 450 km

Game drives vary the time duration

Day 09: Sightseeing in Lalibela

On this day you will have a visit to the rock-hewn churches of Labella. Lalibela is the jewel in the crown of Ethiopia, the most famous church, and the scene of many major religious ceremonies. The churches are carved below ground level and ringed by trenches and courtyards and are arguably Ethiopia's topmost attraction. They are connected to each other by a tangled maze of tunnels and passages.

Among the churches you will visit are Bete Emanuel a 36-foot-high monolith considered by art historians to be the finest and most precisely worked church in Lalibela, possibly because it was the private church of the royal family, Bete Markorios a cave church originally used for secular purposes and thought to be around 1,400 years old and Bete Giorgis the most majestic and best preserved of all Lalibela's churches.

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Transportation: Land cruiser 4WD

Accommodation: Panoramic View Hotel or Similar

CONSULTANT NOTE

You will drive approximately 80 km

Game drives vary the time duration

Day 10: Fly Lalibela – Addis Ababa and Departure

This morning, after breakfast, you are transferred to Lalibela Airport for your flight back to Addis Ababa, officially called Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. This trip comes to an end today after breakfast. This evening we enjoy a traditional Ethiopian buffet dinner and local drinks, celebrating our journey through this culturally rich and fascinating country.

After dinner, you are transferred to the hotel in Addis for your last night in Ethiopia. This evening you will have transferred to the international airport in Addis Ababa for your onward flight, bringing this unique Ethiopia Tour to an end.

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Transportation: Land cruiser 4WD

Accommodation: -

CONSULTANT NOTE:

You will drive approximately 380 km

Game drives vary the time duration

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